MARKET CURRENTS
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MARKET CURRENTS
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Monday, May 20
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2:47 PM Lockheed Martin (LMT +0.2%) says its UK unit has expanded its range of cloud computing services available to government customers to include IT service integration and management, known as SIAM in the UK. SIAM enables UK government departments to deliver seamless, end-to-end IT services in a multi-vendor sourcing model. No financials behind the announcement were mentioned. 1 Comment
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1:42 PM Elan's (ELN +3.3%) board responds in boilerplate fashion to Royalty Pharma's sweetened offer to acquire the company, saying it will, as before, in line with its obligations under Irish Takeover law, assess the bid and advise its shareholders accordingly. In the meantime, ELN shareholders are strongly advised to take no action. Comment!
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12:07 PM Caterpillar (CAT +1.2%) says its global machinery retail sales fell 9% in April, with a 20% drop in its Asia/Pacific segment and 18% drop in North America. Latin America was a bright spot in April, rising 28%. The surge in LatAm is encouraging, says Wells Fargo's Andrew Casey, especially when compared to last Aprils 12% increase. But, with demand in the other regions still contracting as heavily as they are, near-term hopes for CAT look dim regardless of how gangbusters the company is doing in South America. 3 Comments
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10:47 AM Abu Dhabi’s state oil company is under pressure to take a quick decision on which foreign companies will get concessions in one of the few major oil producing areas in the Persian Gulf where international companies are still allowed to hold an equity interest. Prequalified companies are BP, XOM, RDS.A, TOT, STO,OXY, E, PTR, OJSCY.OB, Inpex, Korea National Oil. Comment!
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10:44 AM Indonesian stocks (IDX +1.3%) get a lift Monday, rising 1.4% in Jakarta after the country names Investment Coordinating Board chairman Chatib Basri (who has strong ties to the private sector) as new finance minister. Elsewhere in the region, Thai equities (THD +1.4%) once again get a boost from rate cut speculation as the SET jumps 0.95%. The Bank of Thailand may use a lower-than-expected read on Q1 GDP (5.3% expansion versus a consensus of 6%) to justify cutting the policy rate at its May 29 meeting (Nomura has the odds at 60%). Comment!
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9:48 AM The U.S. approval of LNG exports wasn’t just a domestic political decision; many U.S. allies are eager for exports to go ahead, particularly the U.K. With dwindling North Sea gas reserves, the U.K. has become more dependent on LNG imports from Qatar, which sent the U.K. its 300th LNG cargo over the weekend. Qatar's dominance could shrink if a utility such as Centrica is able to import U.S. LNG as it hopes. Comment!
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8:38 AM Hyundai (HYMLF.PK) and Kia (KIMTF.PK) continue to lose market share in South Korea to foreign brands as sharply lower tariffs make exports cheaper for local buyers. Foreign automakers now account for 41% of the market, up from 28% just two years ago. The trend is most pronounced in the luxury market where BMW (BAMXY.PK), Audi (VLKAY.PK), and Mercedes-Benz (DDAIF.PK) are all picking up market share steadily. Comment!
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8:31 AM E-Commerce China Dangdang (DANG) is upgraded by Morgan Stanley to an Overweight rating and assigned a price target of $6.50. DANG +5.1% premarket to $6.00. 3 Comments
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8:29 AM The flood of tourists into Hong Kong from Mainland China looks promising to global retailers setting up shop in the region, although the tilt towards more bargain shopping could be a trend to watch for high-end sellers. Outlet malls have seen the biggest gains in traffic and sales in Hong Kong which sets up nicely for retailers that planned a strategy which pivots on squeezing profits from the channel. Hong-Kong watching: Nike (NKE), Limited Brands (LTD), Gucci (GUCG.PK), Prada, Louis Vuitton (LVMUY.PK), Coach (COH), Ralph Lauren (RL), Michael Kors (KORS), Swatch (SWGAY.PK), Burberry (BURBY.PK), and Tiffany (TIF). Comment!
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8:12 AM Shares of South African miners sink as the country's mine workers union calls for a 60% pay increase on gold and coal producers. The union says it is seeking an entry-level minimum monthly wage of 7K rand ($750) for surface workers and 8K rand for underground workers vs. respective current minimum wages of 4.7K and 5K rand. AU -3.7%, GFI -3.4%, HMY -1.9% premarket. 2 Comments
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7:25 AM If Scotland were an independent state, its banking sector would have assets totaling 1250% of GDP, a U.K. government report says, throwing the financial risks inherent in a 2014 referendum on Scottish independence into stark relief. By contrast, Cyprus' banks had assets equivalent to 700% of economic output before the crisis. Such an "exceptionally large banking sector," centered around two large players in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Bank of Scotland would be vulnerable to financial shocks, the U.K. Treasury notes. Scotland's Finance Secretary called the report "a feeble attempt to undermine confidence" in an independent Scotland. Comment!
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7:23 AM Danone (DANOY.PK) says it will invest €325M ($417M) in separate deals with China Mengniu Dairy in an effort to return to the Chinese liquid milk and yogurt market. The French company will have an indirect interest of about 4% in China Mengniu Dairy through a joint venture with a goal of increasing its stake in the future. Comment!
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6:03 AM A report out of Italy showing industrial orders rose 1.6% in March (handily beating estimates and reversing a 2.5% decline in February) helped push the spread between 10-year German bunds (BUND) and comparable Italian government debt (ITLY) to its narrowest level (250bps) since January at one point on Monday, as investors pared safe haven bets. Meanwhile, yields on Slovenian 10-year bonds fell slightly early on, defying Fitch's downgrade. Of course, the ratings agency is still "far behind the market's assessment of Slovenia's creditworthiness," one economist says, adding that as long as S&P maintains its A- rating, Slovenian banks can still pledge their government bonds as collateral in ECB liquidity ops. Comment!
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